Gabon and Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may not be taking part at the 2018 FIFA World Cup after his country failed to qualify, but the fleet-footed forward has revealed the nation he’ll be supporting is Nigeria and while that’s nothing unusual, his reasoning has elicited smiles from many.

The Flying Eagles, sponsored by American sportswear giants Nike, have perhaps the standout jersey of the 32 teams that have qualified for the World Cup.

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Reportedly, the boldly designed kit was sold out within minutes of its launch, both in retail and online as well, apart from being a massive hit on virtually every special media platform known to man.

So it’s no wonder Aubameyang, who’s also sponsored by Nike, had this to say:

I support Nigeria for World Cup because of my friend @alexiwobi but to tell the truth also because of your @nikefootball kit 😆😂😂need one !!!! pic.twitter.com/b1zU2lw3JV

— Aubameyang P-E (@Aubameyang7) June 7, 2018

Both Aubameyang and Iwobi, play for Arsenal and while that definitely was crucial, we definitely think the striking jersey was the clincher for the Gabonese forward.

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The 22-year-old Iwobi, who was eligible to play for England as well but chose to represent the country of his birth, responded:

Yes Bro 🙌🏽💪🏽❤🇳🇬 @nikefootball

— Alexander Iwobi (@alexiwobi) June 7, 2018

Arguably, Nigeria are in the toughest group in Russia for they have to contend with the likes of Argentina, Croatia and Iceland for a spot in the knockouts.

While there’s no outright ‘Group of Death’ this time, Group D looks like it will make for arresting viewing.

So far, the Flying Eagles have failed to impress in their warm-up fixtures, having lost both ties against England (1-2) and the Czech Republic (0-1), failing to justify their off-field hype.

They open their World Cup campaign on June 16 when they take on Croatia at the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad.